Common Gardening Terms: Become a Pro!
Gardening Terminology for Beginners
Do you ever feel like gardening is a whole new language? Gardening terms can seem overwhelming. It can be difficult to understand all of the common terminologies. There are many different words and phrases that gardeners use but don't worry, they aren't so hard to understand once you get the hang of it. We'll teach you how to get started in less than 10 minutes! In this blog post, we'll cover some common garden terms and phrases and how to easily understand them.
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Garden Terms for Beginners
Here is a list of common gardening terms explained. These are listed in alphabetical order for your convenience so you can quickly look up a term as it is referenced.
Acidic: Soil with a pH that is less than seven
Aeration: This is the process of opening up compacted soil to allow air, water and nutrients in while giving oxygen back out.
Aerial Root: A type of root that is above ground and anchors the plant.
Alkaline: Soil with a pH that is greater than seven.
Amendment: This usually refers to adding something to improve the soil's quality, such as fertilizer. It can also be referred to as soil amendment.
Annual: A plant that completes its life cycle in one year.
Aphids: These are small, sap-sucking insects that can quickly ruin your plants.
Backfill: This is the process of returning soil that was previously taken out to its original place.
Balanced Soil: This is soil with a pH level between six to seven which means it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Bare Root: These are plants that have not been packaged in soil or other growing mediums and will require some work to get them ready for planting.
Bedding Plant: These are plants that have a low or moderate height and function best when planted in raised rows.
Beneficial Insects: These are insects that do not harm plants but actually help them.
Biennial: A plant with a life cycle that lasts two years, meaning the first year it grows just roots and stores food for the second-year flowering process.
Bloom: Some plants will produce flowers or other showy parts of the plant before they die and go dormant.
Blossom End Rot: This is a fungal disease on the fruit that makes it brown and taste bitter. Commonly seen on tomato plants.
Blight: This type of disease affects plants by killing them, usually from fungi spreading throughout the plant.
Bolt: When a plant grows very quickly and produces flowers, but usually before the vegetables are ripe.
Bone meal: A plant-based fertilizer that is high in phosphorous.
Botanical Name: The scientific name for plants which is comprised of two words in Latin or Greek with an additional word describing genus (e.g. peony)
Calcitic Limestone: A type of limestone that has a high concentration of calcium.
Chlorosis: This term refers to plants that are lacking in chlorophyll which results in them turning yellow.
Chop and Drop: This is a technique used to propagate plants by cutting off the top of one plant, moving it into soil with another plant, and then covering up both plants so that they can grow together. Plants are often cut at an angle on this type of propagation method.
Clay: A type of soil with a high concentration of clay and minerals.
Cold frame: A type of garden frame that is typically made out of wood and glass with a transparent top. It is used for extending the growing season and is usually placed close to a house or other structure for warmth.
Companion planting: The process of planting certain plants with others in order to maximize growth.
Compost: The process of breaking down organic material and using it as fertilizer.
Container Gardens: A type of garden that is grown in containers that can be moved by the gardener to different locations.
Controlled Release Fertilizer: A type of fertilizer that is not immediately released to the plant's roots, but gradually releases nutrients over a period of time.
Cover Crops: Plants grown specifically as a way to improve the health of the soil, but are not harvested themselves.
Crop Rotation: The process of growing a particular vegetable one year followed by another vegetable the following year, or rotating plants with crops from other families each year.
Cultivar: A plant variety that is grown for its unique features.
Cultivate: Make arable land suitable for planting.
Cutting: To remove the stem from a plant and use it to make another plant.
Cultural Practices: These are gardening activities that humans undertake to promote plant growth and development. They include things like fertilizing, watering and mulching as well as many others which may be specific to the type of plant.
An example of fresh compost that will be used in the garden.
Damping-off: Young plants can die if they get attacked by fungus. This is usually because the soil has a disease or because it was overwatered.
Days to emerge: The number of days it takes for a seed to grow enough to be at the surface.
Days to Maturity: How long it takes for a plant to grow to full size.
Deadheading: When you need to remove old flowers from the plant. This helps promote new growth in your plants.
Deciduous: Plants that shed their leaves in the fall and winter.
Deep Shade: Plants that thrive in areas where the light is very dim.
Determinate: Plants that stop growing and only produce a few flowers once they reach a certain size.
Diatomaceous Earth: This powdery substance works as a natural bug killer when sprinkled on the surface or mixed into your soil.
Dormant: Plants that are not actively producing food or growing in any way during winter months when there is a lack of sunlight.
Drought Resistant: Plants that do not need a lot of water, but still require some.
Drought Tolerant: Plants that do not need a lot of water and can survive on very little.
Direct Sow: Plants that are planted in the ground.
Disease Resistant: This is the ability to resist an illness or other injury, like a fungus attack on roots. Plant varieties with high disease resistance are usually hardier.
Division: The process of separating clumps to create more plants. This is most commonly done in spring or fall.
Drainage: The process of removing excess water from the soil or ground.
Drip Irrigation: The process of watering plants through a system in which water droplets are delivered at regular intervals from the irrigation device to the soil under or around individual plants, usually so as to avoid wetting the foliage.
One of my favorite fertilizers.
Evergreen: Plants that keep their leaves all year round.
Exotic Plant: Plants from other countries not native to the region. Sometimes these plants are invasive and destroy other natural vegetation in their new environment.
Exposure: The location or direction in which a plant is exposed to sunlight.
Family: A group of plants that have a common ancestor.
Fertilizer: A substance that is added to soil in order to provide plants with nutrients needed for growth. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
First / Last Frost Date: The average dates on which the first frost in autumn and last frost in spring take place. The first frost date and last frost date depend on your location.
Foliar Fertilizing: The adding of fertilizer to the foliage of plants in order to increase their rate of growth.
Full Shade: The region of a garden that receives no direct sunlight and so the soil there stays constantly moist.
Full Sun: A location that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day.
Fungicide: A substance that kills or prevents the growth of fungi.
Genus: A category used by botanists to distinguish between plants with common characteristics, such as flowers and fruits.
Germination: The process of sprouting, especially the growth and development of a seedling from the time it is planted until it emerges above ground.
GMO: An organism that has had its genetic material altered to make it easier for humans to use, usually by adding the desired trait.
Grafting: The process of joining a cutting from one plant to the stock or root system of another in order for it to grow.
Green Manure: A crop grown to be tilled back into the soil or added to compost for its nitrogen-fixing properties.
Ground Cover: Plants that grow close to the ground surface and spreads rapidly so as to form a dense carpet of foliage.
Growing Season: The span of time during which a plant is actively growing and producing fruit or flowers.
“Knowing your hardiness zone is critical for planting success.”
Habitat: The natural environment where some living thing naturally exists.
Hardening off: The process of gradually acclimating plants from a greenhouse to outdoor conditions, such as exposing them to wind and sun.
Hardiness Zone: A numbered zone that indicates the climatic region in which a plant can grow based on its ability to tolerate winter cold.
Hardscape: Components that make up the hard surfaces of a garden, such as patios and walkways. These structures are usually paved with brick or stone tiles, slabs of concrete, flagstone paving blocks, or other materials that provide traction and last longer than dirt paths would.
Hardy: Able to endure difficult conditions, such as cold winters.
Heirloom Plant: Plants that have been passed down through generations and offer a diverse set of traits that are more resilient to disease and pests, as well as climate change.
Herbicide: A chemical that kills or repels plants and is usually sprayed on the plant's foliage, roots, bark or seeds.
Horticulture: The process of cultivating plants or tending the land.
Humus: The dark, crumbly organic matter that is the result of decomposition and oxidation in soil.
Hybridization: The process by which two different species are crossed with one another or when they crossbreed to produce offspring that has a mix of the parents' characteristics.
Pin for later!
Impermeable: Not letting water through
Indeterminate: A type of plant that continues to grow and produce fruit until it is killed by frost.
Inorganic: A substance created from non-living substances.
Insecticide: Chemical substance or mixture used for the control of insects, mites, nematodes (roundworms), spiders, slugs, snails, and other such pests.
Integrated pest management: A method of controlling pests by natural, biological, and physical means.
Invasive: A plant that lives in one place and then moves to another place. It does not belong there and can cause problems.
Leggy: Hanging or drooping without any strong support.
Lime: A chemical substance that is used to balance the pH of the soil, which helps increase plant growth and fruiting.
Loam: Type of rich soil found in many locations on Earth's surface; it has clay, sand, and silt mixed together.
Macronutrients: Elements in the soil that are necessary for plant growth.
Micronutrients: Elements in the soil needed by plants, but not as important as macronutrients; may affect how well a person can grow fruits and vegetables.
Mycorrhizae: Fungi that live in the roots of plants, helping them get nutrients from the soil.
Mulch: An organic or inorganic material that is used to cover the surface of soil and keep it from drying out.
Native: Plants that are native to a specific region.
Nematodes: Small worms with round, oval, or cigar-shaped bodies; they live in the soil and can cause damage to plant roots.
Nitrogen: A macronutrient essential for plant growth, typically found in rock fertilizers; one type of nitrogen fertilizer is ammonium nitrate.
Node: The point where a branch meets the trunk of a plant.
Non-native: Plants that don't grow naturally in a specific region.
No-Till-Gardening: A system of gardening where the soil is not turned over.
N-P-K: The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer.
Open-pollinated: A type of pollination involving the transfer of pollen from one plant to another naturally through wind, insect activity, or soil movement.
Organic: Plants grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or other such chemicals
Organic Gardening: Organic gardening is different from other types of gardening in that it doesn’t use chemicals, instead choosing to use materials such as compost, manure, and natural soil amendments for fertilizer.
Ornamental: A plant grown for decorative purposes.
Over-wintering: The process of preparing a plant to survive in harsh conditions.
Peat moss: A soil conditioner used to add air and water retention.
Perennial: A plant that returns after it has gone dormant for the winter. Perennials can come back from their roots to grow in springtime
Pest: Insects or animals that can harm plants.
Pesticide: A substance, such as an insecticide or fungicide, which is used to control or kill pests.
pH: Measurement on a scale of 0 to 14 that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of the soil.
Phosphorus: Element in soil that helps plants grow and produce fruit.
Pinching: The removal of flowers in order to promote better plant growth and encourage bushier stems.
Pistil: The pistil is a female reproductive organ of plants. The fruit grows and has seeds inside.
Pollen: The powdery substance that plants produce; it is used to fertilize another plant.
Pollination: The process by which pollen is transferred from one flower to another.
Pollinator: An animal or insect that carries pollen from the anther of one flower to another.
Potassium: Element in the soil needed by plants to increase their ability to withstand disease or drought conditions.
Propagation: The process of producing new plants from cuttings or other pieces of existing plant material.
Prune: To cut off branches or buds of a plant to stimulate growth.
Raised bed: A type of vegetable garden bed that is higher than the surrounding ground.
Rhizome: A plant stem that grows horizontally under the surface of the ground.
Root: The part of a plant that grows underground and absorbs water, minerals, and other substances from the soil.
Root Bound: A condition that occurs when a plant's roots have outgrown the container in which it is planted.
Rooting Hormone: A chemical substance that is injected into a cut or damaged stem to stimulate root production.
Root Rot: A disease caused by fungi, bacteria or nematodes that damages the roots.
Row cover: A thin piece of fabric used to protect plants from harsh weather conditions. It can also be made with plastic or other material.
Runners: A plant stem that grows away from the main stem. This is usually done to produce more plants for propagation purposes.
Sand: A loose, fine-grained type of soil.
Seedling: The first stage in the life cycle of an annual plant.
Seed packet: An envelope or package containing seeds that are usually sold in bulk to be used for planting purposes.
Self-cleaning: A plant that is said to be self-cleaning because it removes dead leaves, small twigs and other debris from its surface.
Self-pollinating: A plant that is said to be self-pollinating because it can fertilize itself without the intervention of other plants.
Self-seeding/ self-sow: When a certain type of plant, usually an annual one or short perennial produces new seeds every year and spreads them around its original location before dying.
Silt: Soil made from medium-sized pieces of minerals.
Time to garden!
Slow Release Fertilizer: A type of fertilizer that is in a granular form and slowly releases nutrients into the soil as it decomposes.
Sludge: A thick, clay-like substance with a consistency similar to that of wet mud.
Soil: The top layer of the earth's crust consisting of weathered rock and decomposed organic materials on which plants grow.
Soil Test: A test to determine the amount of nutrients and pH balance of a soil sample.
Soil texture: The degree to which soil is made up of sand, silt, and clay particles.
Sowing: Planting seeds in the ground so they begin to grow.
Spacing: The distance between plants when planting them from one another.
Spade: A shovel.
Species: A category of plant that is genetically distinct from any other plants in the same genus due to genetic mutations.
Staking: Protecting plants by using stakes or poles to support them, usually as they grow taller.
Stamen: The male reproductive part of a flower.
Suckers: New shoots that grow out from the roots of a plant.
Sustainable: Producing enough to meet needs without diminishing resources for future generations.
Thinning: Removing some of the plants in an area so that there is enough space for them to grow.
Top dress: Adding fertilizer and/or organic material to the top layer of soil.
Topsoil: The top layer of soil, where most plant growth and life occur.
Transplanting: Moving plants or seedlings to different locations in order for them to thrive and produce at maximum capacity.
Trellis: A structure that provides support for plants to grow on.
Umbel: A type of flower that has a cluster of flowers on the top. The leaves grow from around and towards the center, or to form an umbrella over the flowering plants in this case.
Variegated: The condition of having different colors, patterns, or textures on leaves.
Variety: The differences between similar plants.
Vermicomposting: The process of breaking down organic matter with the help of worms using a container that provides airflow.
Vermiculite: A material that expands when heated, used in potting soil to provide good drainage and aeration.
Volunteer: A plant that sprouts from seeds naturally and grows in an area without any other plants.
Waterlogged: Soaked with a lot of water.
Water Soluble Fertilizer: An organic fertilizer that is dissolved in water.
Weed: Any unwanted or unpleasant plant growing wild.
Woody: Having the texture and appearance of wood.
Worm Castings: The soil-like substance formed by the breakdown of organic material in a worm's digestive system.
Xeriscaping: Landscaping using only plants native to an area that require little water for growth.
Yield: The amount harvested from a crop.
Zones: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has divided the country into zones that average about 25 miles wide for growing specific types of plants.
Now that you know what these common gardening terms mean, it'll be easier to take care of the yard! Make sure you also share this planting terms list with your friends.
